El Indio Mexican Restaurant

Whether you choose to eat inside or outside under the umbrellas or order take out, El Indio's Mexican food in Mission Hills is satisfying. One of the oldest Mexican restaurants in San Diego, El Indio is family owned and operated since 1940.

The food choices are many, from breakfast burritos served all day ($4.23 --$6.39), to quesadillas ($3.05--$7.78) to combination plates of tacos, enchiladas, refried beans, rice, salsa and chips ($8.99) to a two taco plate ($8.15).

The taquito is their most popular item on the menu. It is a rolled corn tortilla filled with beef, chicken or potato that has been fried. It can be served with salsa and lettuce, cheese, guacamole or both cheese and guacamole. It was popularized by El Indio's founder Ralph Pesqueira Sr. in 1940.

In the mornings El Indio's tortilla maker pushes out hundreds of corn tortillas. And El Indio offers a 10% discount for seniors over 65, military and students and has a large catering business . Free parking in their lot.

Comments

Hey!!! Ms Nanner's back - yippee!!
I've been going to El Indio since before I-5 was finished. There was a miniature golf course (Palomar?) directly across the street and after playing there my brothers and I would feast on the sole menu item at that time: the beef tacquitos. For a dime! Back then it was primarily the commercial tortilla press. It was nestled next to a neighborhood market (now the dining room), owned by an old chap named Bernie, who eventually sold out to Ralph Pesqueira as El Indio grew. For years the menu consisted only of those scrumptious chips, bean tostadas, bean burritos, and the shredded beef tacquitos, with the cheese option added later (upping the price to an outrageous 15 cents - LOL). Do I miss the place? Apparently too much. Welcome back, Nan. You were missed.

If it has been years since you went there, brace yourself for some shock. Whereas the prices were once dirt cheap, or so they seemed, that is no longer the case. And for some reason the food just doesn't taste as good--or am I just getting old?

You're not imagining things. The prices are sky-high for this type of food and, whereas they once ranked high on the list of gringo Mexican food spots, they fall in the below-average range for me. I will say that those chips still taste great, but beyond that, it's surprisingly bland and far too small of portions, especially at the ever-rising rates they're charging.

Yeah, I have a price to taste factor. A Bean and cheese burrito can taste fantastic for $1.50 and even better for 75 cents, but not so tasty for 4 bucks. So, I'll pass on those burritos now and savor my cheap tasty burrito memories. And butzin' around with the size, never mind the price, is annoying.